Archdruid: And so we remember before the Source of All Being, those who we no longer see but who are beyond the veil:
Mavis Davis
Jefford Clingfilm
Bartram Bagpuss
Morag... is that Morag? Mornay Sauce? No, that can't be right. Morag Smith?
Mornington Crescent
That cannot be Morning Crescent.
Oh.... poor Mornington.
Rancid Poland.... nah, is that Randolph? Rudolph?
.... And all those people whose names we cannot recognise, and which are known to you alone.
Amen.
I'm wrestling with this issue at the moment.
ReplyDeleteSome of the churches in our Methodist circuit have a prayer book that they keeep in the welcome area so that peopel can write requests in it as they come into the service. The steward brings it up to the frint during the first hymn and hands it to the preacher. I always wait nervously, hoping that the names will all be legible and pronounce able, and that I will correctly interpret any further information added. I have a dread of praying for the wrong person or inadvertently announcing the death of someone who has requested prayers because they are struggling with failing hearing!
ReplyDeleteI once prayed publicly for the soul of 'Miss Smith who has died in battle' ... It took me a moment to realise the note was referring to Battle in Essex, where she'd been in a nursing home 🙄
ReplyDeleteIntercessions are wonderful if done briefly and clearly. In a multi-ethnic parish names pronunciation can be difficult so I spell them out phonetically when I write the prayers, hoping to get them right. If I get them wrong, which can happen, people are very forgiving, knowing it is the intention behind the prayers that is important.
ReplyDeleteOften prayers are requested by friends or relations of those being prayed for, so often I can ask them for the correct way of saying a name. Mind you, that doesn't help with scripture with names of people or places, I need to look in advance on how to pronounce them. Many readers only look at the scripture reading as they begin too read, but we love the times when a word is slightly wrong, it could happen to any one of us.